Mystery Date
by liz1967
Summary: James reaction to seeing M on a date.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little one shot about James reaction to M dating. Hope you like it**

Mystery Date

Bond, just back from his latest mission, having been fully debriefed by M, finally had some much needed down time. A rare luxury in his line of work. Not really wanting to cook he decided to pop down the street and pick up some Chinese take away. As he strolled down the street occasionally looking thru the windows of the shops and restaurants that lined the streets something immediately caught his eye. It was M sitting at a small table in a restaurant with a chap smiling the most brilliant smile he had ever seen. The sight was most intriguing to as he knew that her husband had died sometime ago and the thought of M dating had never really occurred to him before. From behind the man the man looked to be about the same age as M with longish salt and pepper colored hair and he seemed to be rather tall judging by the difference in height even sitting down. Bond was completely mesmerized by the way M seemed so relaxed and the fact that she was smiling a lot and laughing. Three things he did not usually associate with the tough as nails, no nonsense head of MI6. As M and her mystery companion rose to leave Bond quickly concealed himself behind the nearest pole so as not to be seen.

Bond followed the couple seemingly transfixed by their behavior and thought to himself "This evening could prove to be rather interesting after all". After following for a few block watching the rather toughing display of affection Bond stopped dead in his tracks. The mystery chap suddenly put his arm around M and pulled her into what appeared to be a rather deep and passionate kiss and to his astonishment she seemed to kiss him back. This display of affection for some reason bothered Bond to no end. Who was this man?, I mean what did she really know about him? Had she had him properly checked out? He followed along for a few more blocks before he decided enough was enough. He had to speak to M.

Bond quickly made his way to M's flat where he quickly disabled her alarm and gained access. He then went to her liquor cabinet and poured himself a drink and proceeded to sit on the sofa and wait for her to return. It was about an hour before he heard her put the key in the lock and open the door.

"Good night Thomas and thank you for a wonderful evening" she said in a tone he most certainly not used to hearing from her

She quickly closed and locked the door and proceeded to flick on the hall light as she made her way to her sitting room. As she started toward her liquor cabinet with the most curious smile across her face a sound from across the room caught her attention. As she turned on the small light on the end table she saw Bond just sitting there watching her.

"Bond...What the hell are you doing here?" she said sounding slightly Irritated

He didn't answer right away. It was almost as if he was trying to formulate the proper way to respond so as not to sound like a complete idiot. He really couldn't come right out and say "Sorry ma'am but I've been spying on you" that would surly incur her wrath. So he finally settled on

"Just wondered how you were doing this evening?"

"Why?" she said sounding rather suspicious

"Oh you know it is rather late for you to be out and about" he said rather sheepishly

"I'm a grown woman Bond I don't need a babysitter!" she replied in a sharp tone

"I wanted to ask you a question?"

"Well get on with it then because as you have already stated it is getting late!"

"I was just wondering who that chap was you were having dinner with?"

"None of you business!" she said the irritation clearly showing in her voice

"Well" he continued "What I mean to say is how much do you know about him? How long have you known him?" he said

M was totally floored by the current line of questioning. She didn't know whether to laugh or be furious at him.

"Bond consider your concerns to be duly noted, however, my Private life is really no concern of yours" she said in a calm but firm tone.

"I know that ma'am but it isn't so much your private life as your safety I am concerned about" he said rising from the sofa to stand beside her

"Believe it or not I do care about you. You are more than just a boss to me I consider you a friend and I wouldn't want to see you hurt emotionally or otherwise" he said placing his hand on her shoulder

"Thank you for your concern Bond but it's really not necessary I can take care of myself " she said

"Oh really" he said rather smugly "And just what would you have done if he had tried to do more than just kiss you tonight?"

"Were you spying on me?" she asked

"Not exactly" he said which was in fact the truth. He hadn't intentionally set out to spy on her.

"Then how do you know that He kissed me?" she asked narrowing her eyes as she glared at him

"Well I suppose ..." he started but really couldn't think of any reasonable expiation as to how he knew about the kiss

"Your silence speaks volumes. If I didn't know better I would almost say that you are jealous" she said reaching for a glass

" None the less not that it is any of your business but if he had tried anything I would have dropped him where he stood." she said dryly as she poured herself a drink

"Really?" he said sounding surprised

"In case is has escaped your notice I was a double 0 myself once and I like to think I still remember my self-defense training"

"I see" he said smiling to himself. He knew she was right. Once a double always a double 0 and even though he didn't know her back then he had heard that in her day she was a force to be reckoned with, for that matter she still was.

"If that's all I think you should be going. " she said as she finished her drink and replaced her glass on the cabinet.

"I suppose you're right" he said inching toward the door "Just one more thing" he said as he reached the entrance to the hallway

"Yes what is it?" she replied as she walked toward him looking up to meet his gaze

"Is he a good kisser?" he asked with a half grin

"Why do you ask?" she said sounding almost shocked and appalled at the question

"I just wanted to know if he was a good kisser is all" he said still smiling just waiting to see how and if she could manage to answer him

"Well...not that it is any of your business but as of late I really haven't had an occasion to make a comparison so I guess the answer to your ridiculous question would be yes I suppose so"

"I see" he said trying to suppress a small laugh. It was then that he suddenly pulled her into his arms and lent down and kissed her gently but firmly on the lips. To his great surprise she put her arms around his neck and kissed him back. When they finally broke the kiss for no other reason that the general need for air, James released her from the embrace and headed toward the door.

M stood in the hallway both stunned at the kiss and stunned at her reaction to it.

"What was that for?" She asked sounding unusually flustered

"I just wanted to give you something to compare" he said with a wry smile.


	2. Chapter 2 Round two

**As requested. Round two. M should at least have the chance to have a few questions answered. Enjoy**

Round two

It had been nearly a week since Bond had last seen M, and he was now being called to her office for his next assignment. He was not quite sure what the mood would be like given how their last conversation had ended. As he entered the office he did so with a slight air of caution. M was sitting at her desk clicking the top of her pen as she continued to read the report in front of her.

"007 How nice to see you" she said rather matter of fact

"And you as well" he replied still trying to discern her current mood

"I trust you had a nice little holiday?"

"Yes ma'am..Thank you for asking" So far so good he thought to himself as he took a seat opposite her.

The rest of their conversation went on as usual. M gave him his new assignment, briefed him on the details and asked if there were any questions. By the end of the conversation Bond was fairly confident that their last meeting was all but forgotten, but he was dead wrong.

Bond rose to leave and just as he was about to open the door M suddenly rose from her chair and crossed the room to face him.

"Bond, I do have one final matter I would like to discuss" she said in her best official, no nonsense tone

"Of course M" he said uncertain of just where the conversation might be heading.

"The other night at my flat you asked me quite a few rather personal questions" she said as she began to circle him like some sort of vulture just waiting to attack, all the while carefully watching his face as she continued. "You asked me things that my own children wouldn't even have dreamt to ask"

"Yes ma'am" he said fully expecting a sound dressing down for his behavior.

"I realize that you did so with the best of intentions, however, I believe you crossed the line just ever so slightly" she said appearing to be both amused and irritated

He suddenly found that the floor had become very interesting as she continued to circle around him as she spoke.

"Therefore I feel it only fair that I be given the same courtesy" she said stopping directly in front of him."Of course ma'am...what?" he said sounding completely surprised by her request

"Yes...I feel that if you can delve into my private life than I should at least be allowed to do the same"

"I see" he said narrowing his eyes just a bit

"Just what is it you would like to know?" he asked as a limp began to form in his throat

"Well, The women you meet on your missions, what are they like?"

"I don't know to be honest. I never really get to know them all that well I suppose" he said as the curiosity as to where this conversation might lead had piqued his interest.

"Are they beautiful?" She asked coyly

"I suppose some are" he said paying close attention to her reaction

"I see, and do they kiss well? I mean did any of them leave a lasting impression?" she asked

Bond really didn't want to answer her last question because to be quite honest the only kiss that had left a definite impression in his mind was hers.

M could tell by the way he was beginning to blush exactly what he was thinking about which made this all the more fun.

"Well to be quite honest ma'am I never really thought about it" he said rather uncomfortably as he tried hard not to look at her for fear of dying of total embarrassment.

The next thing he knew M had shoved him hard pinning him up against the door and reached up and pulled him down into a long, deep kiss to which Bond responded by wrapping his arms around her in order to keep his balance. When she released him he just stood there for a moment trying to wrap his head around the fact that his boss had just kissed him.

"Next time Bond" She whispered into his ear "You would do well to think before you speak!" as a wicked smile formed across her face.


	3. Chapter 3 Be prepared to duck

**Just a short follow up to Mystery Date. For Refreshingly Original. Don't give up on the shoes. I'm working on it as we speak:)**

Be prepared to duck

"You would be wise to enter cautiously and be prepared to duck!" said Eve as Bond strolled thru the outer office on his way to see M

"Oh and why is that?" he said with a grim

"Because she's in a right foul mood this morning"

"How can you tell?"

"Because usually she is just demanding but this morning she is just being bloody unreasonable. I sure wouldn't want the be the idiot who inspired this epic meltdown"

"Well...I'll see what I can do. Why don't you go get yourself a cup of coffee, I have a feeling this could take a while"

Bond knocked lightly as he slowly opened the door only to be caught in the icy stare of M who was rifling thru the papers on her desk like a lunatic.

"What do you want?" said M sharply

"You wanted to see me remember?"

"So I did. Sit down" she said coldly while walking around her desk to face him

"So what's put you in such a cheery mood this morning?"he asked sounding somewhat amused as he had never seen her so flustered.

"Bond this has to stop immediately!" she said

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about"  
"Don't play stupid with me. you know exactly what I'm talking about"

They had been dancing around this topic for days now. With a series of uncomfortable conversations followed by awkward glances and quite a few unfinished sentences and it was starting to get out of hand.

M didn't know whether to be flattered or embarrassed after all she, the head of MI6, had allowed one of her agents to kiss her and instead of giving him the sound dressing down he deserved what did she do? she kissed him back, twice!

"This is all your fault" she said staring at him with a stare that could freeze running water

"And just how is your foul mood my fault" he asked trying to suppress a smile

"You're the one who chose to go about spying on me, then you broke into my flat and drank my best scotch, then you proceeded to play what amounted to a rather ridiculous game of twenty questions about my private life and then to top it all off you crossed the ultimate line and kissed me against my will in my hallway"

James, doing his level best not to make the situation worse simply leaned forward and replied

"Ma'am all due respect you didn't seem to mind at the time"

It's a good thing that James had good reflexes as he ducked out of the way just in time as a stapler went flying past his head hitting the wall behind him.

"So tell me, if you don't mind my asking, what bothers you more the fact that I did all those other things or the fact that I kissed you?"

"Bond. I am your boss and I don't care who you are you do not have the right to insert yourself into my private life! and you certainly do not have the right to take liberties with me whenever the spirit moves you."

"If that is the case then why did you call me in here a few days later and kiss me again?"

A look of embarrassment followed by complete frustration quickly spread across M face as she seemed to ponder his question as her blood pressure began to rise.

"I called you in here that day to teach you a lesson about poking you nose in where it doesn't belong" she replied

"And how is your fancy man?" James asked attempting to change the subject

"What..?" replied M who was caught completely off guard by the question

"You know your fancy man, what's his name?"

"None of your business" she said sharply

By this time James had had just about enough of this little dance they seemed to keep doing with each other. It was clear, at least to him, that there was only one way to calm her down. So he rose from his chair and closed the distance between them until he was standing directly in front of her.

"Just what do you think you're doing, you ..." she started to say as she was cut off midsentence as James leaned down and pulled her into a gentile kiss wrapping his arms around her. M started to resist at first but quickly abandoned all reason and put her arms around his neck pulling him closer and kissed him back.

When he finally released her she looked at him slightly calmer and asked

"What was that for? Have you not listened to one word I have said?"

"Well they say the third time's a charm" he said kissing her again.


	4. Chapter 4 Turnabout is fairplay

**For RebaForever15. Thanks for the vote of confidence. :)**

M and James had managed to keep their respective distance from one another for several days and at last M thought she had achieved her goal of keeping him out of her private life. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Her evening out with her "Fancy Man" as James put it was going quite nicely with a quiet dinner for two and a film. All through the film M felt uneasy, as though she was being watched but every time she looked around there was no one there.

"Get a grip' she muttered under her breath "You're starting to get paranoid, surly he wouldn't be so stupid as to follow you again" she thought.

"Hey. Are you alright" asked Thomas, her fancy man as he put a protective arm around her shoulders.

"Fine" she replied leaning in to his embrace. "It's just been a long day"

After the film the evening was concluded with a nice stroll through the park before Thomas took her home.

"Do you want me to come in?" he asked as she unlocked the door

As she turned around she saw him out of the corner of her eye. "That cheeky little bugger" she thought angrily "How dare he do this to me again"

"Yes as a matter of fact I do" she said more sharply than she had intended as her frustration with James was growing by the minute.

Once they had entered her flat M firmly shut the door and turned to face a rather bewildered Thomas.

"Thomas I'm sorry if I sounded cross a minute ago it's not you really" she said softly as she took his hand and led him to the sitting room. "Would you care for a drink" she asked trying her best to lighten the mood

"Not really" he said moving to take her in his arms

Just as he was about to lean down and kiss her she heard a noise which suffice it to say killed the mood immediately.

"Look" he said releasing her "I'm not sure what's going on but clearly this isn't a good time for you so in everyone's best interest I think I will be going" he said as he headed toward the door

"Thomas" she called after him "You don't have to go" she said apologetically

"No. I think it's best" he said leaning down to kiss her cheek "I'll call you tomorrow" and he was gone.

"I'll kill him" she thought out loud "I'll kill him with my own two hands" James had gone too far this time. Not only was he irritating her but now he was affecting her relationship with Thomas.

"I've got to put an end to this once and for all "she said grabbing her hand bag and heading out the door.

M quickly hailed a cab and had herself driven to the flat of one James Bond. When she arrived she knocked or rather pounded on the door angrily waiting for a response. After a few minutes she concluded he was not home and decided that turnabout was fair play. If he could break into her flat whenever the spirit moved him than it was only fair that she be given the same courtesy so she let herself in. Good to know that she still had the knack for picking locks.

Once she had entered the flat she took the opportunity to have a look around. She had never been there before so she was a bit curious just how he lived. The room was sparsely furnished with the usual sofa, chair, coffee table, a few book cases which were largely empty and a fully stocked liquor cabinet. Well at least he has good taste in scotch she thought as she took the liberty of pouring herself a drink and took a seat on the sofa for what she assumed would be a long wait. She really didn't care how long it took because she had a few choice things to say to him when he did arrive.

It was about an hour before M heard the key in the lock. She purposely had left the lights off so as not to alert him to her presence. James entered his flat casually and was about to turn on the light when he smelled an all too familiar fragrance, one that defiantly did not belong in his flat. He reached for his gun and quickly spun around pointing it directly at M as he switched on the light.

"Fancy meeting you here" she said coolly

"M?" he said lowering his weapon "What are you doing here and how did you get in here?" he asked somewhat shocked to see her standing in his sitting room

"You're a smart man" she retorted" Work it out for yourself!"

"I see" he replied with a half grin "So this is not a social call"

"No it most certainly is not!"

"So to what do I owe the pleasure? I thought you were out with your Fancy Man?"

"Well I was until a certain agent turned up outside my flat" she said angrily

"Oh I see" he asked curiously

"Why do you insist on spying on Thomas and Me? first at dinner then at the pictures and then at my flat" she demanded

"First of all I wasn't spying on you at dinner which by the way the chateaubriand looked incredibly dry and Second I just happened to be at the pictures with a friend and again I must say your behavior was far more entertaining than that picture could have ever hoped to be and third..He said closing the distance between them "I just wanted to be sure you made it home safely" he said softly

"But what is this sudden insane obsession you seem to have with me?" she asked looking him in the eyes waiting for an answer

"I think you already know the answer to that one" he said as he put his arms around her and pulled her in to a deep, thoughtful, passionate kiss.

Her brain was telling her that this was a bad idea and she should put an end to it immediately but her body had other ideas altogether as she felt herself respond to him in a way that surprised even her as she felt her arms go around his neck. Her entire weight was being supported by him at this point as he began to maneuver her backwards towards his bedroom all the while never breaking the kiss.

"James" she said breathlessly between kisses "We cannot do this" she said as they reached the threshold of the door

"Do what?" he said as he continued to place soft kisses down her neck

"We cannot cross this line" she said as she tried to gently push him far enough away to look at him

"Look" he said as he gently pinned her against the door frame "We've been jumping back and forth across this line for quite some time now "

Just then her phone rang.

"James my phone is ringing" she said trying to push him back as he continued to kiss her neck

"James!" she said more forcefully "My phone!"

"Let it ring" he said capturing her mouth again

"James! let me go this instant" she said pushing him back

"Fine" he replied as he let her go

She quickly made her way back to the sitting room and retrieved her phone, and looking at the screen picked up her handbag and headed toward the door. As she was about to open the door James caught her from behind and pulled her back into him and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear.

"This isn't over" he said as she could feel his warm breath against her skin "Not by a long shot"


	5. Chapter 5 Something in the air

**RebaForever15- Thanks for the idea and Prosper the XVIII you wanted something Epic. Hope this fits the bill :)**

As M left James' flat she dialed her phone to speak to Tanner who had obviously been trying to reach her for the last hour judging from the number of missed calls showing on her screen.

"Mr. Tanner..what is so bloody urgent that you felt it necessary to call me several times this evening?" she asked sounding irritated

"Well ma'am, it's Mr. Mallory. He has phoned several times and insists that you return to the office. Something about some documents needing your signature that are due first thing in the morning to the PM" replied Tanner sounding more than a bit frazzled "I hated to bother you but he insisted"

"And I suppose it just couldn't wait until morning" she said as more of a statement rather than a question

"According to him, NO, in fact he said to tell you he's waiting for you" replied Tanner

"Fine." She said sounding rather disgusted " It's not as if I have anything better to do than come back to the office this evening. Tell him that I will be there shortly and he had best not keep me waiting!" she said as she hung up

M arrived at the office about ten minutes later and made her way up to her office to find Tanner sitting at Eve's desk looking both bewildered and annoyed all at the same time.

"Good evening M. Sorry to have bothered you but under the circumstances..."

"It's alright Tanner under the circumstances you had no choice." She said trying to be understanding as she realized that poor Tanner was only following orders even if they were from someone she considered a complete moron. "Well, Where is he?" she asked sounding impatient

"He's waiting for you in our office" replied Tanner as he got up to open the door for her

"He's got a lot of nerve, taking over my office" she said coolly as she went to open the door. Why don't you go home Tanner. I've got this"

"Thank you Ma'am"

M opened the door only to find Mallory sitting at her desk reading thru the stack of files he had brought for her to sign.

"Mr. Mallory. I don't suppose that these could have waited until morning" she said sarcastically

"M. Nice to see you and don't you look lovely this evening" he said pleasantly

"Compliments only work when they are genuine" she replied rolling her eyes slightly

"We did try several times to reach you this evening" he said flatly

"Yes, well I had a previous engagement and turned off my phone"

"What if it had been a real Emergency?" he asked

"I have complete confidence in my staff, and if it had been a "real" emergency as you say, they have ways of alerting me" she replied sharply "Now if you don't mind vacating my chair so that I can sign the documents in question"

"Yes. Of course" he said standing up so that she could take her seat

"As you know these documents all require your signature, but I wanted to be sure to point out a few important details before you signed" he said as he leaned over her shoulder with his left arm resting on the back of the chair and his head unusually close to hers.

M tried as best she could to concentrate on the information Mallory was prattling on about, but she was not feeling the least bit comfortable with how he was invading her personal space. With one arm draped around the back of her chair and the other resting on her desk she was beginning to feel a bit trapped. Mallory, on the other hand appeared to be completely oblivious to the fact that he was unusually close to M until he leaned closer and caught the scent of her perfume. He could tell it was defiantly not a cheap perfume in fact it was rather pleasant and he found himself almost involuntarily leaning closer and closer to her.

That's when it happened. No one, not even Nostradamus could have predicted this one even if they had tried. M just happened to turn her head toward Mallory just as he turned his head toward her and their lips collided. Stunned would have been an understatement as they remained in their current position for a few moments, each trying to comprehend what was happening. M was the first to realize what was happening and attempted to pull away but Mallory, who was evidently caught up in the moment, had moved his arm from the back of the chair to her shoulders and pulled her closer to him deepening the kiss.

There wasn't really an appropriate word to describe the multitude of emotions flooding thru M's mind and across her face when she was finally able to extricate herself from Mallory's grip.

"Mr. Mallory!" she said sounding both shocked and appalled "Just what do you think you are doing?"

"M. I'm sorry. I don't know what happened..I..." he said standing up stunned by his own actions

"I think you should go" she said firmly as she pushed her chair back and stood up

"M. I don't know what came over me. I know it was completely inappropriate" he said as he began to blush slightly

"I should say so!" she replied as she attempted to move past him, but he caught her by the arm effectively stopping her from passing.

"M. I know it was completely inappropriate, but I cannot in all honesty apologize. " he said as he put his hands on her shoulders turning her so that she was facing him. "I have always thought you were an attractive woman and it wasn't until tonight, when you walked thru that door looking so lovely, that I realized just how beautiful you really are" he continued as he moved his hand to cup her cheek

"Mr. Mallory, I really think you should be going before this situation becomes any more awkward" she said calmly as she grasped his wrist in an attempt to remove his hand from her cheek.

"Perhaps you are right" he said in a rather hoarse tone "But not before I do one last thing" he said leaning down and kissing again.

"Mr. Mallory" she replied taking a step back "I think we are more than finished here" she said sounding extremely uncomfortable at this point "I will finish signing the documents and I will have them delivered to your office first thing in the morning"

"Of course M." he said as he turned to head toward the door

"Would you like me to escort you home?" he asked as he was about to open the door

"No. No that won't be necessary" she said trying to retain her composure

"Well Good night then" he said as he disappeared thru the door

M wearily sat down at her desk looking both stunned and confused as she thought about the events of the evening. "It's got to be something in the air" she muttered as she finished signing the last of the papers on her desk. "First Thomas, then James and now Mallory" she thought shaking her head in utter disbelief.


	6. Chapter 6 Jealous James

M was in her office bright and early the next morning still reeling from the previous evening's events. She was angry at herself for being so ratty with Thomas and she was angry at James for being, well James and she was completely shocked and confused by Mallory's behavior.

"Men!" she thought to herself as she rifled thru the mound of paperwork on her desk

It was just about then when Eve knocked on the door

"Come in!' shouted M without bothering to look up

"M. I hate to bother you but you have a delivery" said Eve tentatively

"I have a what?" she said finally looking up to see her secretary standing in front of her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers

"I said you have a delivery" replied Eve with a quizzical grin

"Oh. Thank you. Why don't you just put them over there"

"Well don't you want to know who they're from?" asked Eve

"Not particularly, NO!" replied M sharply

"M. If you don't kind my saying so you seem a bit out of sorts this morning. Is everything alright" asked Eve sounding concerned as she put the flowers on the desk

"I'm fine. I just didn't have a very pleasant evening is all"

"Oh." Eve replied not sounding the least bit convinced with the explanation

"Are you sure you don't want to know who the flowers are from?" she asked again raising her eyebrow as she was clearly dying of curiosity

"Fine it you really want to know go ahead and read the card" said M as she returned her attention to her paperwork

Eve opened the card and read it to herself twice! before staring at M with a somewhat bewildered look on her face.

"Well. What does it say?"asked M still not looking up

"I...err I think you had better read it for yourself" she said quickly handing the card to M

The card simply read "Thank you for last night. My deepest apologies for any misunderstandings, but I meant what I said. , Sincerely Gareth Mallory" M just stared at the card for a few moments before letting out a sigh, folding her hands in front of her and placing her forehead on them.

"What is it with men? When you want them to pay attention to you the act as if you don't exist and when you don't want them to pay attention they swarm all over you like a bunch of ants and a picnic" said M sounding highly aggravated

"M." said Eve cautiously "Would you like to talk about it? "

"No not particularly" snapped M "Would you please remove those from my sight" she said as she pointed to the flowers

"Where would you like me to put them?" asked Eve hesitantly

"Anywhere but here"

"I'll just put them in my office" she replied picking up the vase and heading toward her office.

Just as Eve was settling back down at her desk James strolled thru her office on his way to see M.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you" said Eve cautiously

"Oh and why is that?" he asked curiously

"Because someone is having an unusually bad day" she replied rolling her eyes

"I see" he said with a grin "Pretty flowers, who are they from?" he asked casually

"Oh there not mine, They're hers" she said nodding her head towards M office

"Really! Flowers from the Fancy Man" he said chuckling to himself

"Well no not exactly" replied Eve Mysteriously "Not unless you call Gareth Mallory the Fancy Man"

"Gareth Mallory? Why would he be sending her flowers" said James sounding just a tad bit jealous

"Well" Eve said leaning across her desk and lowering her voice to just above a whisper "I'm not really sure. All I know is that the card said "Thank You for Last Night " and he apologized for any misunderstanding, and she clearly does not want to discuss the matter"

"Thank You for Last Night!" said James with a look of shock and disbelief "What the hell happened last night that he should be thanking her?"

"I don't know and she wouldn't say. She just asked me to remove these from her sight" Eve said leaning back in her chair. "What's the matter James? You suddenly look a bit peaked " said Eve sounding concerned

"I'm fine" he replied trying to regain his composure "I guess I should get in there, Wouldn't want to keep the boss waiting"

"Good luck" said Eve as he disappeared thru the door

M was sitting at her desk sorting thru a stack of dossiers

"Good Morning M." he said pleasantly trying to determine her mood

"007. What took you so long. When I said eight o'clock I meant eight o'clock not eight twenty five" she replied sharply

"Sorry Ma'am" he replied as he sat in the chair across from her "I didn't think it would be a problem being that you had a rather full evening last night" he said studying her face closely for some sort of reaction

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" she asked narrowing her eyes to glare at him

"Oh nothing. Lovely flowers by the way. I'm surprised you didn't want them in here where you could look at them" he said teasingly

"Just what are you getting at 007?" she asked bluntly

"I wondered why you left in such a hurry last night, I just never dreamed it was because you had a "hot" date with none other than Gareth Mallory" he said trying to suppress a grin

" For your information I did NOT have a "Hot" date with Gareth Mallory. He needed me to sign some documents for the PM. END OF STORY!" she replied sounding rather defensive

"So why the flowers and the cryptic message?" he asked as his curiosity was beginning to get the best of him

"None of you business" she snapped as she stood up and walked around the desk to stand in front of him

"Fair enough" he said pausing for a moment "But Gareth Mallory, I mean isn't that a bit inappropriate?" he asked sounding a bit puzzled "I mean after all you do report to him" he finished sounding totally flabbergasted at the very thought

" Look who's talking." she replied dryly "If I didn't know better 007, I would almost say that you were a little jealous" she said leaning against her desk with her arms folded

"I'm not jealous. I just thought you had better taste" he said shaking his head "

James could tell by her body language that there was more to this than she was saying so he stood up closing the distance between them and placed his hands gently on her shoulders

"So what really happened last night" he asked tilting her chin up so he could look her in the eyes

"Nothing really." she said quietly "It was all rather stupid in fact."

"Go on" he said not breaking eye contact

"I was just signing the documents he needed and I happened to turn my head at the same time he turned his and he.. well he kissed me accidentally" she said quietly

"He accidentally did WHAT!' said James sounding more than a bit jealous

"You heard me" she said attempting to pull away

"Well. Did you kiss him back?" demanded James

"Certainly not!" she retorted angrily "Credit me with a bit of common sense. Gareth Mallory's only redeeming quailty is his taste in cologne"

"So he forced himself you"

"No of course not. It was all rather innocent."

"Innocent is when you bump into someone at the water cooler or are pressed against them in the lift" replied James clearly livid

"Look James. Don't get your knickers in a twist. I've already handled the situation" she said in an attempt to calm the situation

"Judging by the flowers you have done a fine job" he retorted "I think I almost prefer you with the Fancy Man, at least I know what his motives are"

"His name is Thomas, And just what is that supposed to mean?" she said coolly "Is it so hard for you to believe that other men could be interested in me?" she asked almost sounding offended

"No it isn't that. This Thomas chap seems like a OK guy. He always seems to treat you well, and it's very easy to see why he has fallen for you. You're attractive, intelligent, you have a great sense of humor, But Mallory is one slippery bugger and you can bet he's after something" he said suspiciously

"And what about you?" she asked "What are you after?"

"Me" he said pulling her closer to him in order to trap her in his embrace "I'm after you, Just you because I love you"

"James" she said softly looking up at him "You better be careful." she warned "You're dancing awfully close to that line again"

"Yes I know" he said mischievously as he leaned down and gently kissed her.

To be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7 James the matchmaker

**For RebaForever15 Thanks for the vote of confidence and Prosper the XVIII thanks for the inspiration.**

James left M's office slightly calmer than he was during his discussion with her. He was still irritated at the fact that Mallory had Kissed M, what he really wanted to do was kick his arse up one side of Whitehall and down the other for touching her, but he finally agreed to let her handle the situation as she saw fit. As he rode the lift down to the lobby he thought about the Fancy Man, Thomas. Even though he had never actually met the man he seemed to care a great deal for M and he always treated her well. "If he is the one who makes her happy then so be it" he thought, but "I would like to at least meet him to be sure of his intentions." So James set out to find Thomas. It wasn't really all that difficult for James, being a spy, to track him down. It was a small matter of breaking in to M's flat and listening to her answering machine and looking at the caller ID to get his phone number, then having Q track the phone number to get an address. With address in hand James made his way to the home of one Thomas Stephens. When he reached the address he noticed it was a rather modest home on a quiet street much like M's flat. He knocked on the door anxiously waiting for Thomas to answer. He was growing more and more anxious the longer he waited as he didn't really know what he was going to say. Just as he was about to turn and leave Thomas appeared at the door.

"Can I help you?" asked Thomas as he opened the door

"Yes, I…Well you see…I believe we have a mutual acquaintance" said James searching a polite way of asking about M

"I see, and who might that be?"

"Well…You see it's my Boss. I saw you with her last night" answered James waiting to see what Thomas called her as he didn't want to confuse the issue by calling her M

"Oh you must mean Olivia" replied Thomas sounding a bit puzzled "Is she alright, I mean she hasn't been in an accident or anything?"

"No… no nothing like that" replied James

"Oh that's good. Well how can I help you then?"

"I just wanted to apologize for last night, I mean interrupting your evening. Olivia was a bit angry with me because she saw me last night while she was with you and she implied that I had somehow spoiled your evening plans" said James as apologetically as he could under the circumstances

"So" replied Thomas nodding his head "You're the ghost"

"I'm the what?" replied James sounding confused

"The ghost. Lately when we are out for the evening she's been so distracted. I just assumed it was the memory of her late husband. I never considered it would someone else" he replied almost sounding relieved.

"Look you've got it all wrong. I care a great deal about Olivia and I just don't want to see her hurt, but you seem like a nice chap and I just wanted to apologize...and to tell you that from now on I will do my best to keep my distance."

"There's really no need. I can see that you care about her just by the fact that you took the time to come and talk to me, and believe me the last thing I want to do is hurt her"

"Right. Well now that that's settled I'll just be going" said James "Nice to have met you Mr. Stephens" he said over his shoulder as he turned to leave

"Wait I don't believe I caught your name?" replied Thomas

"It's Bond sir. James Bond"

"Nice to have met you Mr. Bond" said Thomas sounding a bit confused

"That went well!" thought James as he quickly made his way down the street "I must have sounded like a complete idiot" James spent the rest of the day trying to block out the extraordinarily awkward conversation he had had with Thomas and also trying to forget about the message on M's answering machine with Thomas asking M to join him at a local street fair the following day. It would be really easy to go and spy on the two of them but he really meant what he said when he told Thomas he would try to keep his distance.

The following day James did everything he possibly could to keep himself busy. He couldn't help but notice that it was raining. "So much for the street fair" he thought as he sat shining his shoes for the third time. "I wonder what they chose to do instead" he thought to himself quickly pushing the thought to the back of his mind. Once he was done with the shoes and had put away the polish he went to his liquor cabinet and was about to pour himself a drink when he heard a knock at the door. When he opened the door he found a very soggy and very angry M glaring back at him.

"Just what the bloody hell did you say to Thomas." She demanded as she pushed past him and entered the flat

"What are you talking about?" asked James completely confused by her statement

"Yesterday, you went to see Thomas did you not?"

"Well…Yes but I only went to apologize for interrupting your evening and I promised to keep my distance, which as you can see I did by staying here and polishing my shoes to within an inch of their lives!" he said defensively as he closed the door

"Well, whatever you said must have left some sort of impression that you and I are more than just colleagues because he has effectively ended our relationship saying something about not being able to compete with a ghost" she retorted angrily as she made her way the liquor cabinet and poured herself a rather large drink

"M. I don't know what to say. I never meant for this to happen" he said quietly

"Of course you didn't!" she replied attempting to wipe away the water that was dripping from her hair onto her face "You never mean for anything to happen and yet it always does doesn't it" she continued as tears began to well up in her eyes. "Why couldn't you just leave well enough alone" she said choking back her tears as she began to tremble slightly due to the fact that she was soaking wet and freezing.

James quickly disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a towel and a dressing gown.

"And just what the hell are those for?" M demanded as she downed the rest of her drink.

"You're soaking wet. We need to get you out of those wet clothes before you catch pneumonia" he replied handing her the towel and dressing gown.

"Bond! This had better not be one of your tricks" she said sharply taking the items and heading toward the bathroom.

"Believe it or not M, That is the last thing on my mind at the moment" he replied as he ran his hand through his hair while pacing around the room.

James, had never seen her so upset. He never meant to hurt her, on the contrary he had meant to make things easier on her by leaving her alone and staying out of her private life.

When she returned the sadness in her eyes spoke volumes. It was all James could do to keep from putting his arms around her to console her, but he knew that she would only push him away at this point and who could blame her. He had all but ended the only happiness she had had since her husband had died and regardless of how he felt about her it was clear, at least to him that she did not necessarily feel the same way about him.

"M. can I get you anything?" he asked softly as she took a seat on the sofa

"No thank you" she replied as she leaned back and closed her eyes "I think you've done quite enough already"

James took a seat beside her and patiently waited for her to speak

It wasn't long before M leaned over and rested her head on James' shoulder and she began to speak,

"I really liked him" she said softly "But it would never have worked out"

"Why do you say that" asked James trying hard not to pry

"Because I could never tell him what it is that I do, I could never tell him about my day or about my work. Christ, I had a hard enough time explaining you" she said playfully slapping his shoulder

The fact that she seemed to be relaxing a bit was all the permission James needed to put his arm around her and pull her closer so he could rest his head on top of hers.

"James"

"Hmm" he said placing a light kiss on top of her head

"Do you think it is possible for people like us to lead somewhat normal lives outside the office?" she asked pulling back so she could look at him

"For people like us anything is possible" he said leaning down to kiss her gently to which she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck pulling him closer

When they finally broke the kiss for no other reason than the general need for air James had finally worked up enough courage to ask

"So what changed your mind about us?"

"The fact that you were willing to let me go" she said quietly

"What made you think I was willing to let you go?" he asked suspiciously

"You went to see him didn't you?"

"Well…Yes" he replied

"I realized that you really must have meant what you said about wanting me to be happy if you were willing to do that. The only thing wrong with that was that I was already happy…with you, so when Thomas suggested that we not see each other anymore I saw no reason to argue the point any further" she said curling up closer to him,

"I see" he said as a smile formed across his face "So I finally wore you down"

"No. I just decided that if I am going to go on a date it would just be easier if it were with one person at a time" she replied as she stood up and taking his had leading him toward the bedroom

"I see " he said following her lead

"I think it's about time we cross that line don't you" she said with a mischievous smile

"I thought you would never ask" he said pulling her into a deep kiss before picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way into the bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8 A Happy Ending of Sorts

**For GreenVelvetCurtains. Thanks for the idea. You were right it just needed a little more closure. For RebaForever15 Thanks for all the imput hope you like the final outcome, and for Proster theXVIII I just couldn't let it end with out giving it to Mallory one more time just for you :)**

James and M were content to just lay in bed and enjoy each other's company until M suddenly sat bolt upright and stared at the clock with an almost horrified look on her face.

"Shit. Shit...shit...shit" she said as she scrambled out of bed hurrying to the bathroom to retrieve her still damp clothes

"What's the matter?" asked James completely confused

"It's Saturday" she yelled as she struggled to put on her blouse

"So it' Saturday. What's the problem" he said somewhat amused as he watched her trying to dress

'"The problem is that while I've spent the better part of the day here with you, I've completely forgotten that I have an official function I am supposed to be at it about an hour" she snapped as she raced around the room collecting the rest of her belongings

"Oh I see. "He replied propping himself up on his elbows

"Oh you don't see. I have to go"

"I never took you for the love Em and leave Em type of person" he replied with a wide grin

"Wipe that silly smirk off your face and get up" she demanded

"Why?" he asked cautiously

"Because you're going with me so get dressed. You have ten minutes" she snapped throwing him his dressing gown

"I can't go with you. It's an official function and agent's don't attend those sort of things" he replied

"Well you do now. Since I no longer have the benefit of Thomas as my escort you have just volunteered so get moving" she answered in her all too familiar no nonsense tone

"And just how do you intend to explain this to Mr. Mallory? He will be there I assume" he asked humorously

"I'll just tell him that you are my body guard! Now get up you have nine minutes!" she replied sharply

"You know you really are rather cute when your flustered" he said somewhat amused as he got out of bed

"This is not the face of cute! This is the face you will see kicking your arse if you don't get moving" she said pushing him toward the bathroom

"Alright. No need to get violent. I'm going" he said "Just let me grab my suit"

"No not the suit. You will need a tux" she said impatiently

"Oh so it's a formal do" he said trying to conceal a laugh

"Yes it is so would you please hurry up!"

"Alright. Just keep your knickers on I'll just be a moment" he said disappearing into the bathroom

M paced about James' flat closely watching the minutes tick away while she waited for James to dress. After a few more minutes James appeared looking flawless as usual in his Tuxedo.

"Ready to go?" he asked smugly

"What took so long?" she asked sounding slightly annoyed

"Well I had to tie my shoe didn't I? Shall we" he said motioning to the door

The drive to M's flat took about ten minutes which by her calculations left her about twenty minutes to get ready.. When they arrived M unlocked the door and immediately bolted up the stairs leaving James standing in the hallway.

"Make yourself at home" she yelled down the stairs as he heard her turn on the shower "It's not like you don't already know where everything is"

"Take your time" he yelled back as he went to pour himself a drink

After about fifteen minutes M reappeared in a beautiful low cut black velvet dress, and carrying a strand of pearls

"Do you mind?" she asked handing the pearls to James

"Not at all" he replied as he moved to stand behind her in order to fasten the clasp

Once he had fastened the clasp he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest dipping his head down so he could gently kiss her neck

"You look stunning!" he said in between kisses

"That's enough of that" she said playfully as she pulled away from him "We need to get going or we'll be late"

"If it makes any difference I would rather just stay here and look at you" he said teasingly

"Well as luck would have it, as my body guard that's what you will be doing all evening and if you play your cards right there just might be a reward in it for you later" she said with a wicked little grin

"Why M. You naughty girl" he replied with a laugh as he offered her his arm "Shall we?"

James and M arrived at their appointed destination right on time, much to the relief of M who was ready to throttle their driver on more than one occasion as he kept taking what he called a short cut that actually took longer than the direct route.

Once inside M quickly disappeared into the sea of dignitaries leaving James to stand alone against the wall while trying to keep an eye on her. Keeping an Eye on M was always a challenge at one of these functions as she was often surrounded by a group of tall men in dark suits or tuxedos who dwarfed her making her nearly impossible to spot. It wasn't long before he saw Mallory approach her which made him slightly uncomfortable. Mallory appeared to be trying to lead her away of the rest of the group she had been speaking with which caused James to become somewhat alarmed so he decided to follow along to see just what was going on. As James walked down the hall toward the secluded alcove where Mallory had taken M he saw that M had been effectively backed into a corner with Mallory attempting to , for lack of a better word, invade her personal space.

"Mr. Mallory. I thought I made myself clear that this is completely inappropriate behavior!" said M firmly while trying to wiggle out of his grip

"M. Olivia...I just thought that maybe once you had a chance to think about what I said you might want to reconsider" he said leaning in closer to her

"Reconsider or what?" she asked sounding almost shocked

"Well. You did send your assistant home the other night leaving us alone, so one could make the assumption..."

James had heard enough and stepped up behind Mallory and spun him around to face him causing him to lose his grip on M.

"Is there a problem here!" James asked trying to control his anger

"007. I wasn't aware that agents were invited to this event" said Mallory dryly "If you don't mind this a private conversation between M and myself" he snapped

"Well as a matter of fact I do mind" said James as he moved to stand beside M with his arm draped protectively around her lower back

Mallory was quick to notice just where James had placed his arm and narrowed his eyes as he began to speak

"I always believed that there was more to the two of you than meets the eye and now I can see by your behavior that I was correct in that assumption" he said smugly "You do realize M that having a personal relationship with an agent is highly frowned upon at MI6 and could be grounds for dismissal"

" Begging your pardon Mr. Mallory, but M and I have never been anything but professional whereas you on the other hand, from what I overheard just now, were attempting to blackmail her into some sort of relationship against her will so I would tread lightly with the accusations if I were you" said James sternly as he tightened his grip around M's waist.

"007. That is something you simply cannot prove as it is only hearsay on your part, and only an idiot would believe you over the head of the Security and Intelligence Committee" replied Mallory arrogantly

"Well that may be true, but I'm not the idiot who put it in writing" replied James as he quickly produced the card from the flowers Mallory had sent from his pocket and dangled it in front of him.

Mallory just stood there for a moment with a stunned look on his face as he glanced back and forth between M and James

"Let me tell you how this is going to play out shall I" said James "First. You will keep your hands to yourself or you will simply find that you have no hands. Second, the matter of the events in M's office will never, ever be brought up again in public or in private and Third You will never question M's professionalism nor will you interfere in her private life or a certain little note will just happen to find its way to the desk of the PM, do I make myself clear?"

"So that's it. You're blackmailing me?" replied Mallory angrily

"If that's what you want to call it"

"Fine" he snorted angrily as he turned to leave "But just know that I will be keeping an eye on you two in the future" and with that he disappeared back down the hall toward the ballroom

M, who had remained very quiet during what had amounted to a boy's pissing match finally broke her silence.

"James. Where did you get that card?" she asked inquisitively

"I swiped it from your office the other day. I thought it might come in handy" he replied with a grin "Turns out I was right" he said as he leaned down to quickly kiss her

"You do realize that this could have all blown up in your face"

"I suppose. But he is the one who sent the flowers and he is the one making the apology in the note so who do you honestly think they would believe?"

"James" she said with a long sigh "What am I going to do with you" she said wrapping her arms around him.

"Well you could say we can go home for a start. I've sort of gone off the idea of babysitting you in a room full of giants" he said pulling her close

"I think that can be arraigned. Just let me make my excuses and we can go" she replied pulling away from him

"Oh and I believe you said something about a reward later?" he said with a mischievous grin

M quickly pulled James back into the alcove wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. When she finally broke the kiss, M promptly straightened her dress and turned toward the corridor

"I'm afraid that will just have to do until we get home" she said winking at him as she headed toward the ballroom.

"God I love that woman" he muttered to himself as he followed close behind wearing a silly grin.


End file.
